Sir Michael Parkinson has died

[Lineker]

Michael Parkinson family statement:

Quote

After a brief illness, Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family. The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.

 

[Bobfoc]

Another famous person who seemed to have been around forever, and seemed as though he always would be.

[Skummy]

He was great. One of the best interviewers to ever do it, getting great stuff out of an amazing range of guests - everything with Billy Connolly, with Muhammad Ali, with Orson Welles, and some good comedy stuff with the likes of Kenneth Williams and Frankie Howerd, a lot of which is all still on iPlayer, and I imagine a lot more will be uploaded soon.

[TheGrandAvatar]

He's someone who has always been there and around, much like most name's that have sadly also passed on.

While I was never an avid viewer of his, I knew the work of his and how high it was held and always had a respect for him being able to get the best out of a guest. His work and shows where not to my taste, and more probably to the generation's before me. But have seen many clips over the year's. 

Good wit and one of the best interviewer's/talk show host's over here, an ever imposing presence on being a personality, interviewer and someone who commanded respect even if not a fan of his as it's 'Parkie' after all. 

[King Ellis]

He was such an iconic part of British TV over the years. I'm sure we'll see all the famous clips on loop over the next few days like the infamous Rod Hull or Meg Ryan moments or the countless Billy Connolly appearances.

[Hobo]

I uses to love watching Parkinson. I regularly watched it. I seem to remember the BBC used to also show old Parkinson interviews from time to time as well.

The full Welles interview is on YouTube. It's a fun watch.

 

[Skummy]

That is such a masterclass in interviewing, for the same reason that Parkinson's Ali interviews are so good; he's sat opposite someone who desperately wants to, and is used to being able to, dominate the conversation, and he never allows him to, he knows exactly the right questions to get Welles talking on interesting topics, but also knows when it's appropriate to step in and change direction, when to be formal and precise, and when to be more conversational and friendly. Orson Welles would wipe the floor with almost any other interviewer, but in that clip they come across as equals.

On the topic of the clip, as much as it's going off-topic from talking about Parky, it always chills me to remember that the specific reason that Welles (and others - Vincent Price is one I know of) was under investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee is that he was identified as a "premature anti-fascist" before World War 2; that is to say, they saw something undesirable and un-American in him opposing fascism on moral grounds rather than as a point of political convenience. 

 

Back to Parky, there's a brilliant story he told about how when his dad was on his deathbed, his dad asked him if he felt he'd had a good life, and Parky said that yes, he couldn't deny that he had, that the BBC had given him such a wonderful career, and that he'd interviewed so many of the biggest names in the world. His dad replied, "still, it's not playing cricket for Yorkshire, is it?".